Managers admit they can't handle server utilization

Emma Woollacott, 19th October 2009

As many as 4.7 million servers around the world are doing nothing useful at all, with the vast majority of server managers admitting they don't really grasp server utilization.

The study, conducted by Kelton Research and commissioned by 1E in association with the Alliance to Save Energy, reckons the cost of this inactivity as $25 billion a year.

“Contrary to popular belief, one of the largest causes of energy and IT operational waste in data centers are servers that are simply not being used. The savings from decommissioning non-productive servers cannot be ignored. Organisations need better information on server efficiency and more effective ongoing server energy management.” commented Sumir Karayi, CEO, 1E.

Three-quarters of server managers reckoned that one in six of their machines was doing no useful work, and 83 percent admitted that they did not have an adequate grasp of server utilization.

For 63 percent of respondents, finding unused servers depended on manual checks, trial and error or waiting until something was broken.

“With US data center energy consumption at an all time high, it's only logical that we reconsider how we are using IT resources. An unnecessary amount of data servers are 'plugged in' 24/7 in an age when power-saving tools are available to businesses,” commented Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy.